Former High School Teacher Pleads Guilty To Having Sex With 2 Students

MONTEBELLO (CBSLA.com) — A high school teacher pleaded guilty Monday to having sex with two of her male students.

Gabriela Cortez, 43, entered her plea to six felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 7.

The crimes occurred between September 2009 and November 2010, primarily at Cortez’s home. At that time, Cortez was working as a Spanish teacher at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights and the boys were 16 and 17 years old, according to Deputy District Attorney Hyunah Suh.

One of the victims came forward on Feb. 15 to report being molested by Cortez and a subsequent investigation led authorities to the second victim, Montebello police Lt. Luis Lopez said.

Cortez was arrested Feb. 22 by Montebello police and released later that day after posting $140,000 bail.

The former teacher faces a maximum sentence of six years and four months behind bars, but the judge could also order probation with no jail time, Suh said.